


Busted, Bruised

by kriswritesthings



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: M/M, Midnight Endeavors, Requited Love, Will patches Mike up and feeling spill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-25
Updated: 2019-07-25
Packaged: 2020-07-19 08:00:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19970662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kriswritesthings/pseuds/kriswritesthings
Summary: It’s midnight. Mike got bloodied and bruised in a fight at the arcade, and the only person he knows that can clean him up is Will.





	Busted, Bruised

Will had gone to bed early. 

Yes, it was a Friday, and as a teenager Will was expected to be going out with his friends and stay up until ungodly hours of the night, but junior year was proving to be taking a toll on his body and his sleep schedule. Any extra hour of sleep on the weekend made up for all the hours he skipped during the weekday. 

The party understood the struggle too, choosing to go out one weekend as a group and all crashing before 10 pm the next. Besides, Will figured he deserved some well earned rest as he tucked himself under his bed sheets around 9:30 and let his exhausted body doze off rather quickly. 

Until he was woken up at midnight to his phone buzzing. 

Will picked up his phone, not bothering to look at the Caller ID and wanting rather to yell at whoever was calling him when sleep was a sacred, sacred thing nowadays. 

Before he had a chance to open his mouth, he was already being bombarded with an explanation that took him a second to fully comprehend. 

“Hey, Will, I know it’s late and I’m really sorry but—“ 

“Mike?” Will questioned. He recognized his best friends voice and his frustration began to fizzle out. 

“Yeah? It’s me,” Mike said. He sounded tired, but a different type of tired that everyone was used to hearing from each other recently. Will was too worn out to place a finger on it himself. 

“It’s midnight,” Will pointed out after blearily checking the clock on his wall. 

“That it is. I’m really sorry, I didn’t know who else to call,” Mike apologized. Will noticed that his words were also slightly slurred and he had a hard time annunciating them. Maybe it was the phone connection?

“Are you alright? What’s wrong?” Will asked worriedly, exhaustion be damned now. 

“I got into a fight.” Blunt. 

“ _ What?”  _ Will sputtered. Mike getting into fights, much less at midnight on a Friday night, was extremely unlike him. Mike could get angry, yeah, but he’d never confront anyone if it wasn’t absolutely necessary. 

“That’s why I c-called, I can’t sneak back home and wake everyone up looking for the first-aid kit but Mom’ll kill me if she finds out I got blood on the sheets or the floor, and I know you have a med kit in your car an—“ 

“Mike, calm down, I’ll be right there. Where are you?” Will interrupted Mike before he could get too ahead of himself. 

“Outside the arcade,” Mike answered, sheepishness seeping into his voice. 

“The  _ arcade _ ? Of all places, Mike,” Will could have laughed if he wasn’t too busy thinking about Mike busted and bruised in the chilly weather on the streets. Even if the weather was gradually warming up as spring arrived, the nights were still cold. 

“Shut up, I’ll explain more when you’re here.” 

“Okay, okay. Stay put, I’ll try and be there as soon as I can,” Will said, ending the call and begrudgingly pulling himself out of his cozy bed. 

How the hell had Mike managed to get himself beat up at the arcade? How come he was going to the arcade by himself in the first place?  _ At midnight _ ?

Will didn’t have time to question the situation in depth as he pulled on warmer clothes and boots in exchange for his pajamas. For good measure, he stuffed an extra pair of pants and a long-sleeved shirt in a string bag in case Mike needed a change. 

Grabbing his car keys off his nightstand, Will carefully crept through the house and decided that leaving a note on the kitchen counter noting his whereabouts would be smart, just in case Joyce woke up in the middle of the night to his empty bed. 

_ ‘Mike got beat up, going to go clean him up and bring him home. :)’  _

It was always better to be honest with Joyce, and she wouldn’t have a heart attack if he hadn’t left a notice. 

She would understand, having a little soft spot for Mike and knowing just the extent of how much Will and Mike cared for each other. Besides, who knew if she would even wake up before the sun rose?

_____

“Hey, need a ride?” Will jokingly asked Mike as he pulled up to the front of the arcade. It was dark and he hadn’t seen the damage yet, but he recognized Mike’s lanky shadow in front of the blazing neon arcade lights. 

The rest of the street was devoid of any life, save for the stubborn weeds in between the sidewalk cracks swaying amidst a biting breeze. 

Mike jumped into the passenger seat and relaxed when he was finally able to rest his aching body. “Thanks so much, Will, seriously you have no idea—“

While Mike was talking, Will had turned on the light that illuminated the front seats and finally had a good look at Mike’s face. 

“Jesus fucking christ, Mike, you told me you got into a fight, not that you got mauled by a bear!” Will gasped, though he wasn’t one to curse too often. 

Mike was sensitive all over, but what was most notable was that even recent blows to his skin blossomed into ugly blue and purple patches quickly.

There were already deep bruises forming on Mike’s cheek and one taking form on the underside of his jaw. His lip was busted open and blood was gushing from his nose, dripping down onto his chin. It trailed down his chin and dripped onto the neckline of an old Star Wars shirt, bright red absorbing into the fabric contrasting with a faded blue. 

Mike was lucky Will remembered to bring a change of clothes. After surveying the damage done to his face and neck, Will noticed Mike’s arms were scratched up and bleeding a little as well. 

Will didn’t want to think about what bruises Mike probably had under his shirt either. 

“Whatever, the other guy looked worse, I promise,” Mike tried to reassure, but Will was too disturbed for reassurance now. 

He pressed his foot against the gas immediately, knowing where he could take them. 

“Where are we going?” Mike asked curiously. He couldn’t complain, a ride was a ride after all, but he wanted to know regardless. 

“You know the little lake in the forest we went to as kids? I’m not letting you get blood on the seats if I clean you up here, and no ones gonna mind a little blood on the rocks, right?” 

Mike couldn’t move his face too much without wincing in pain, but he tried to send Will a fond look anyway. He wouldn’t have called anyone else if he knew he could. 

_____

They arrived to the tiny lake side clearing after a little blind navigation and memory-jogging. Will parked the car on the rocks, leaving the headlights and inside lights on. 

He got out and went to the trunk to pick up his med-kit and the change of clothes, along with a beach towel he had thrown in there. Mike followed but meekly stood next to the passenger door, fearful of being more of a burden to his best friend than he already was. 

Will came around with the items piled in his hands and he hopped onto the hood of the car. Mike did the same, sitting close enough to catch some of Will’s body heat. 

“Take your shirt off,” Will ordered nonchalantly, digging through the open kit. 

“W-what?” Mike asked, caught off-guard. He couldn’t help but feel heat creep up his neck for other reasons now. 

“I can’t fix up anything under your shirt if it’s still on, right?” Will said, not noticing the implications Mike could’ve gotten from the original question. 

It was getting chillier, but Mike complied. 

“Christ, Mike.”

His pale chest was littered in bruises of various sizes, the biggest one appearing on his side and in the middle of his chest. He wasn’t bleeding except for on his arms where Will saw them before. Mike looked like he’d been kicked on his side, and then probably punched a whole lot on his chest. 

Will would have normally blushed seeing Mike shirtless, especially upon noticing the little abs that had started to form on his stomach (when did that happen?!), except he was too frustrated that Mike had probably been the one to pick a fight when it could have been avoided. 

“I know, I’m sorry,” Mike said, trying to talk through the cut on his lip. 

Will pulled a towel out with a bottle of water. “I’ll clean up all the blood first and we’ll figure out how to bandage that up, alright?” 

Mike nodded. Will began to gently wipe his face, holding his chin with one hand while he gathered up most of the blood with the once-white towel. Mike winced when he brushed over his lips, but Will stilled him with a calming hand on his shoulder. 

Of course, Will was oblivious as he always was. He didn’t notice how he was making their faces come closer together, but he was too concentrated on making sure he got all the blood off of Mike’s face to notice that Mike was growing redder and redder at the contact. 

“Hold this tissue up to your nose while I get your arms.” Mike did so and stretched his arms out for Will to wipe down, no matter how much every swipe stung like a bitch. 

Mike was sore. He felt a bruise painfully stretch on his torso with every movement of his arms or his neck. It was his fault, yes, but he knew it was worth it. 

Will didn’t know why he was so good at it, cleaning people up. He figured that it was because Jonathan would get beat up sometimes when they were younger, and he would be responsible for making sure Jonathan looked okay enough in front of Joyce when she got home from work. 

Of course, there was also having to grow up with Lonnie in the picture, but Will didn’t want to credit any of his skill to that bastard. 

He expertly made work of wrapping Mike’s biceps with a bandage he knew could be hidden under a long-sleeved shirt before moving on to the bruises. 

“There’s no way I can fix up the bruise on your face so no one can see,” Will sighed, noticing that the ones on Mike’s face were already dark and impossible to cover up. 

“I’ll just tell mom I fell down the stairs?” Mike tried, but he knew it wasn’t believable. 

“You can try,” Will said, but he knew Mike would come up with something. 

Instead, Will dished some ointment out of the box and applied it to every bruise, trying not to press down too much but rubbing it in nonetheless. 

Mike shivered at Will’s light touches anyway, even if it didn’t hurt as much as he expected it to. Will took care of him so gently, scared to hurt him even more. They were silent, Will too focused to talk until he was finished. 

“And… done!” Will said a few minutes later. He finished putting ointment on the last bruise, leaning back to admire his work. Mike’s arms were securely bandaged up, and Will had covered some of the larger bruises on Mike’s body with bandages as well so he wouldn’t move too much and irritate them. Will even found a small bandage Mike could keep on his lip for the time being. 

Mike shivered again, but this time from the gust of cool wind that swept over the lake. 

“Cold?” Will asked. 

“A little,” Mike admit. 

Will hopped off the roof to rummage around in the backseat of his car and bringing back a huge blanket with him. Mike looked at it gratefully. 

Admittedly, Will was also getting a little cold. He figured he probably should’ve worn a jacket over the short sleeved t-shirt he picked up from his floor when he left. 

He laid the blanket on Mike’s shoulders, careful to not agitate any of his injuries or accidentally wipe off the ointment that was still settling on his bruises. 

When Will sat on the hood of the car again, Mike opened up the other side to invite Will into the warmth with him. Will moved close enough to Mike so that their knees and shoulders were touching and wrapped the other side of the blanket around his shoulder. 

“So, can you tell me why you got your ass kicked?” Will asked. 

“I didn’t get my ass kicked! I told you, Troy was more fucked up than I am,” Mike insisted. 

“You got into a fight with  _ Troy?!  _ Mike, we left that beef alone years ago!” 

“I  _ had  _ to!,” Mike defended, “I was at the arcade to blow off some steam and he was at the game next to me talking shit, and then I confronted him and one thing lead to another and I punched him in the face.” Mike was out of breath with his explanation, still careful not to move around too much. 

“What, he said about you so you socked him?” Will asked. Why would Mike get into all the trouble because of a stupid insult. 

“No, it wasn’t about me, Will,” Mike muttered sheepishly. 

“Then who?” Will couldn’t imagine Mike getting so worked up if it wasn’t even about himself! 

“Jeez, it was about  _ you _ ,” Mike eventually burst out. It was even more absurd to Will now. “He was calling you a queer and all these awful things and I couldn’t take hearing him talk about you like that!” 

It was well-known to the party and Will’s family that Will was gay. He’d come out to them a couple of years ago, but he knew that no one else in Hawkins had any idea of it. Anything that came out of Troy’s mouth was uninformed insulting. 

“Mike, you don’t have to beat people up to defend my honor,” Will said quietly, even if his heart warmed up at the thought. 

“Yeah, but I made sure he won’t say shit again, at least?” Mike said somewhat triumphantly. 

Will weakly smiled. “I think the ointments set. Take these clothes so you don’t have to go home covered in blood.” Will reached behind to grab the string bag and handed it to Mike. 

“Should I change in the car, or,” Mike trailed off. 

“If you lean over too much your nose is gonna start bleeding again, just change out here. I won’t look,” Will teased. 

Mike got off the hood and started pulling out the shirt nestled inside. “Will, we’ve been to hell and back together, literally. I could give a shit if you watch me change,” Mike laughed, but he was blushing as well. 

Will heated up anyway, wondering if Mike was implying what he thought he was implying. He pushed the thought of his head and politely stared at the inky lake water in the night while Mike changed. 

“...Thanks again, Will,” Mike whispered when he was sitting on the car again, directly next to Will with the blanket around their shoulders once more. 

“Anytime,” Will replied, hushed. They didn’t have to be quiet. There was no way anyone would know they were here, nor would anyone be near by chance. It was a secluded clearing, but it was the perfect view to admire the smooth lake reflecting the bright moon in the night sky, along with the flickering stars scattered around it. The pine trees surrounding them were mysterious and dark, but were comforting rather than scary. 

Neither one of them wanted to leave.

Mike wondered how Will’s shirt and sweatpants fit him pretty well, even if the pants were a little short, despite Will being a good few inches shorter than Mike. Will’s smell was imbedded in the clothes and Mike discreetly reveled in the comfort of his scent. 

Will’s heart was beating loudly, even if they weren’t moving. They could go home now. Will could get rid of the note and tell Joyce about what happened in the morning, and Mike could make sure he wasn’t caught being out. 

But they didn’t. 

Instead, Mike made a bold decision. As much as it hurt to twist his body, he turned and carefully bent down to place a chaste kiss on Will’s cheek. 

It burned where Mike’s lips had been. He mistakened Will’s silent surprise for disgust. 

“Wha—…” 

“I’m sorry, it was like a thank you? I guess?” Mike hurriedly said, worried he’d freaked Will out. 

“No, I…” Will trailed off, shrugging. “I didn't mind it. Just thought that, y’know, you woke me up in the middle of the night to take care of you…” 

Will’s tone was implying, and Mike knew what could make it up to Will a little better. 

Mike was never one to make the first move, but with the way Will’s head was tilted up to gaze at him with his lips parted ever so slightly, Mike took the initiative of slowly placing his hand on Will’s face. He raked through Will’s soft hair with the other as he felt Will’s own hands gently wrap themselves around his waist. 

They were an inch apart when Mike mumbled against Will’s lips, “Thanks, again.” Will shouldn’t have found it as hot as he did. 

He finally closed the gap between their lips, tightening his grip around Mike’s waist as much as he could without worry of it being painful. Mike was surprised for only a second until he melted into it, savoring the heat of Will so close to him. 

They’ve both kissed other people before, but Will notes that this time it felt like gaining a fresh breath of air after being stuck underwater for so long. There weren’t fireworks, like how he had read it being described in books, but somehow this was better than fireworks, or flashing lights, or anything bright. It was like he’d come home after a long, long day. 

Will didn’t want it to end. He was conscious of how him and Mike had leaned into each other until they were chest-to-chest. He felt Mike’s fingers grip the back of his neck to somehow bring them closer than they already were. 

It was growing frantic. Will swiped his tongue a little forcefully on Mike’s lower lip to gain entrance, but he completely forgot about the cut. 

Mike flinched and pulled away despite himself. His lip stung even with the bandage Will had found for it, and Will’s hands jumped away from his waist. 

“Shit, shit, I’m sorry,” Will said apologetically. He didn’t know how he completely forgot about Mike’s busted lip, he didn’t even feel the bandage while they were kissing. 

“It’s okay,” Mike assured, feeling his lip to make sure the cut hadn’t opened up again. He was in the clear and smiled at Will, who still looked worried. 

“I’m fine, Will,” Mike said fondly, weaving his hands through Will’s hair again until they found themselves on either side of his face. 

Will smiled. He nuzzled into the touch and brought his own arms to wrap themselves around Mike’s neck. Now he definitely didn’t want to go home. 

“Do I have to go?” Mike sighed. He was thinking the same thing as Will. 

“Won’t your mom get worried if you’re not in bed in the morning?” Will asked, as much as he could have stayed with Mike on the hood of his car all night, tiredness forgotten. 

“Shit, you’re right…” Mike said, “It’s only 1 though, maybe we can hang around for a little longer?” 

Will liked that Mike wanted to stay with him as much as he wanted to stay with Mike. He nodded and leaned in to rest his head on the crook of Mike’s shoulder. 

Mike sighed in contentment and moved his hands so they were around Will’s waist. “Was that a more sufficient thank you?” he asked. 

Will laughed and nodded. 

They stayed like that, blanket around each other, cuddling on Will’s car. 

Will gazed up at the sky, catching eye of the seemingly endless amount of stars and an idea popped into his head. 

“Follow me,” he said while moving away from Mike and crouching on the hood of the car. Mike held the blanket as Will carefully stepped over the med kit still behind them and jumped onto the roof. 

“C’mon, if we can’t stay for long we can at least watch the stars for a little bit,” Will beckoned, lending a hand to Mike, who was moving slowly to not disturb his bandages. 

The car rocked when they were arranging themselves, but they figured out that if they put the blanket on the cold roof, then laid on top of it and pulled the sides over them, they’d still be semi warm. 

“So, what is this?” Will said when he rested his head on the crook of Mike’s shoulder and Mike delicately placed an arm around him. 

“It’s my arm around your shoulder, Will,” Mike answered simply. 

“No, stupid,” Will laughed, even if he knew that Mike knew what he meant. “I mean, best friends don’t kiss or cuddle, do they?” 

“I thought it was obvious I’ve had a crush on you for like, years, Byers,” Mike stated matter-of-factory. Will’s face burned. 

“Years?” he squeaked. 

“Okay, since the end of freshman year,” Mike corrected, but it was basically the same. Will thought back on it and realized that Mike had never really dated since then, had he?

“After I came out?” Will asked curiously. 

“That’s when I figured it out, I think,” Mike thought about it. 

Heat continued to creep up and down Will’s limbs. 

“I like you too, Mike,” he said quietly. 

“I’d hope so,” Mike chuckled. He turned onto his side with only some difficulty, and Will did the same. Even in the dark, Will thought Mike was breathtaking. “Will you be my boyfriend, Will?” 

Mike’s tone was as gentle as he could make it, despite his heart roaring in his chest in nervousness. He lifted his hand to brush away the hair that was falling into Will’s eyes. 

Will couldn’t feel himself breathe, much less say anything, so he nodded with a wide smile on his face. How Mike had put so much meaning into the question but look so content was beyond him. 

Of course, Will knew he always had a little crush on Mike, especially when it had intensified after he came out. He never knew something would have actually resulted from it, though. 

Will leaned in again, Mike’s lips looking more irresistible now that he knew they were… boyfriends. He liked the sound of boyfriends, a lot. 

Their lips reconnected with more intent behind them. Mike had more experience with kissing than Will, so he lead the way in slowly moving their lips. They were moving quicker than before, but Will couldn’t lean any heavier into the kiss because of Mike’s lip, which he assumed was still aching. 

How a midnight endeavor lead to be one of the best nights of his life, Will didn’t know. What he did know, however, was that Mike just barely bit down on Will’s bottom lip, and Will let out the most beautiful gasp Mike has ever heard. 

It could have been half an hour or maybe days, but Will was too caught up with Mike and the way his hands knew exactly where to linger and what to trail over, how Mike matched his rhythm, to really care how much time had passed. Will could have stayed for the sunrise, really. 

Until his phone began to buzz again. 

The Caller ID showed that it was his mom. More importantly, it was also 3 in the morning and Will spent more time out than he meant to. 

“Shit, shit, it’s my mom,” Will breathes to a panic stricken Mike. “Be quiet for a second.” 

He picked up the call. “Hey, mom.” 

“Hi, Will. I got up to get some water and saw the note, is everything alright? I just wanted to make sure everything was okay.” She sounded like she was forcing herself to be calmer than she was. 

She wasn’t mad, but Will didn’t expect her to be. “I’m alright, Mom. I’m getting Mike cleaned up right now, I left a little bit ago. I’ll be home soon, don’t worry.” 

Will knew he and his mom had a trust no other parent had with their kid. How many moms can say they’ve contacted their kid from hell? Not a lot (hopefully). 

Even then, Joyce had every right to be anxious and make assumptions, but Will’s confirmation of his well being relaxed her. 

“Okay hon, be safe! I’ll see you in the morning, and don’t be out too late. Make sure Mike gets home safe.” 

“I will, Mom. Bye.” 

Joyce ended the call and Will sighed. He knew that she would go back to bed, but she wouldn’t let herself fully fall asleep until she heard Will return home. 

“She’s not mad, is she?” Mike asked, not being able to catch much of Joyce’s side of the conversation. 

“Not at all. I wrote her a note telling her you called and needed help, and she just wanted to check in on me,” Will answered, putting his phone away and shifting so he was on his back. Mike did the same. 

“Do you think she’ll tell my mom about it?” Mike asked worriedly. Joyce wasn’t one to tattle if Mike didn’t want her to, but he was still nervous. 

“I’ll tell her what happened, don’t worry about it. But we have to go soon, she probably won’t fall asleep until she knows I’m home.” 

Mike didn’t want to go home and have to face his family in the morning, but there was no way he would be able to spend the night at Will’s without causing some freak out with his parents when they went into his room and found his bed empty. 

“I don’t wanna go either,” Will muttered, as if he knew what Mike was thinking. 

“Yeah,” Mike breathed, not making a move to get up despite knowing they should probably get going. Instead, he laced his fingers with Will’s. 

Will squeezed his hand but sat up, pulling his knees to his chest. Mike reluctantly followed, albeit more carefully. 

“I didn’t think I’d be driving out at midnight to be cuddling on the roof of my car,” Will thought aloud. 

“Are you glad you did?” Mike asked a little self consciously. 

“You’re not the only one whose had a crush on someone for a while, you know,” Will answered, “How can someone not like someone like you, Wheeler?” 

They both had taken to affectionately calling each other by their last names, and they both loved it. 

“I can say the same for you, Byers,” Mike nudged Will’s shoulder with his own. Will didn’t let Mike see the smile growing on his face. 

“Help me put all this shit away,” Will eventually sighed, knowing that Joyce was lying in bed waiting for a sound in the house indicating Will was in the house, safe and sound. 

Mike groaned but followed Will back onto the hood of the car and onto the ground (With Will’s help, of course. Every stretch of his torso was agony). 

They had put everything away and were back in the front seat of the car, Will gripping the steering wheel loosely as he drove them out of the clearing and onto the main road home. 

“Does it hurt a lot now?” Will asked Mike, who intertwined Will’s fingers with the hand that wasn’t on the steering wheel. 

“Not a lot, but maybe a kiss on the boo boo would help?” Mike joked. 

“Another day, Wheeler. Any idea on what you’re gonna do about your face?” Will distracted himself from the thought of kissing every little bruise on Mike’s body, getting lower and lower until—  _ No _ . Not the time. 

“Nancy might have left some makeup in her room when she left for college, so I’ll see if I can figure that out. Either way, saying I bumped into a wall very violently with my face might be the excuse.” Mike shrugged. He’d think of something. 

Will squeezed Mike’s hand as a response and continued the drive to Mike’s neighborhood. They decided that turning on music would be too distracting, and they just wanted to spend more time with each other in peace. 

Will pulled up in front of the Wheeler house as quietly as possible. Mike looked like he thought that somehow, the ride could have taken longer. 

Will pressed another kiss to Mike’s lips, this time gentle and sweet to leave him something nice for the night. “You’ll be fine with your parents, Mike. If you can’t think of anything, maybe Mom can help out.” 

Mike smiled and gave Will’s hand a final caress with his thumb before getting out of the car as quietly as he could possibly make himself. 

Will only drove away when he saw Mike go to the side of the house and start his trek up the wall into where Nancy’s room used to be. He could only imagine how difficult it was when an intense move hurt like hell, but Mike seemed as if he was managing. 

_____

Will was back in bed soon, having already talked with an awake Joyce, ready to doze off. His phone buzzed again, but with a text this time. 

  
  


**_Mike_ ** _ : Thanks, again _

**_Will:_ ** _ You can make it up to me more tomorrow if you want _

  
  


And boy, did Mike do exactly that. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> i tried to incorporate as much of my personal info on bruises as i could. as a clumsy person and volleyball player i’m usually covered in them, and they pop up really quickly for me so i figured it was accurate to at least one person. 
> 
> please kudos and comment if you enjoyed!! have a nice day lovely people <3


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